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Said crutches were nowhere in sight, of course, and both men glanced at Rory with knowing looks. His voice got low and growly. “I’m taking care of her. Mind your own business.”
Ash pressed his lips together, not quite smothering his grin. “And she couldn’t be in better hands.”
Fast as lightning, Rory rapped Ash on the side of the head. “Careful or I’ll kill you in your sleep, boy.”
Amelia had observed that Rory only did that to the guys he liked. Weird, but true. A guy thing, Vivi had assured her.
Ash feigned outrage, laughing at the same time. “Good luck, Doc. Let us know if you need anything.”
Rory was still grumbling as they limped away, and Amelia stuck an arm through his. “It’s not nice to smack people.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll get me back one of these days.”
Her office wasn’t as spacious as Beatrice’s, but it was a generous size and served her well when needing to speak to patients in private. After flipping on the lights, she pointed at the visitor chairs and then at the wall next to her file cabinet. “Put these over there and grab two mats, will you?”
He did as directed, and after some shuffling about, they were on their backs with their feet resting on the seats of the chairs, staring up at the ceiling.
“Never realized how ugly that is,” she said.
“Textured ceilings were all the rage when this place was built.”
Silence drifted between them, and Amelia searched for something to talk about that didn’t involve the mugging or the plane crash that had upset him so much. She couldn’t exactly ask him what he was working on. Most of what he did was classified, even to those who worked here. Truth be told, she didn’t really want to know all the stuff.
“I have two tickets to Hannah’s fundraiser.” At least that was a safe topic. “It’s for a great cause, too. I don’t suppose you could take a couple hours off Thursday and go with me?”
He went absolutely still and she peeked from the corner of her eye at him. Maybe it was the angle, but she could have sworn there was stark fear on his face.
“I mean,” she stammered, “as friends. If that’s what you want.”
He seemed to force a breath into his lungs before responding. “Big social gatherings, especially those involving the First Family, aren’t my thing.”
“Okay, sure. I get it.” She didn’t, though. “You know Hannah doesn’t care what you did before you went to work for SFI. She probably doesn’t even know who you are.”
He backtracked. “No, it’s not that. Well, I mean, that’s good that she doesn’t know, but I was referring to… never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
She pushed up onto one elbow to peer down at him. “Yes, it does. To me. Tell me why you don’t want to go.”
His body tensed. The hesitation before he spoke made her think he was choosing his words carefully. “The last one I attended went poorly for me.”
“Ohhhhh.” She smacked her head with her palm. God, she was an idiot. Of course he didn’t like large social gatherings—he’d been shot at one. That much she knew. She reached for his arm, squeezing it. “I forgot. I’m sorry. What was I thinking?”
He shrugged it—and her hand—off. “Eh, no big deal. Don’t sweat it.”
She flopped onto her back once more. She should just give up the idea of dating. Give up on anything but focusing on her work. At least she was good at that. “I should do some isometric exercises. Join me?”
There was a slight hesitation again, and then whatever he was about to say, he let it go. “Think I’ll do some core.”
Over the next few minutes, the awkwardness abated as they each concentrated on themselves. Eventually, they moved the mats away from the chairs so they could have more free range, and he spotted her while she did a few lifts with her good leg and a set of easy seated stretches. She kept losing her balance and ending up on her side laughing, drawing a smile from Rory as well.
She fought off a yawn and he got to his feet, offering her a hand. “Time to put you to bed.”
The images that conjured made her cheeks heat. She allowed him to help her up, averting her eyes. “Are you joining me?”
Gentle hands took hold of her arms as he turned her to face him. He lifted her chin so their eyes met. “You’re safe here, you know.”
He thought she was afraid of being alone. She was, but that wasn’t what she’d been insinuating. Was he purposely being dense? Did she need to take out a billboard ad?
She swallowed hard, needing to admit to him how she felt, but not knowing exactly how to get the words out. “Logically, yes, I know, but I only actuallyfeelthat way when you’re in the same room as I am.”
